A sticky situation?

[Anonymous]

Anyone have experience installing Tortoise switch machines to the underside of foam board? I use foam board for my subroadbed. Foamboard does not hold screws well. I thought about maybe using liquid nails. Any suggestions?

[orsonroy]

I've never seen an elegant solution to this problem. Most people I know using foam have handthrown turnouts, with manual linkages under the foam. The mechanicals for the manual toggle linkages are attached to a 1/8" thick square of masonite, which is then Liquid Nailed to the foam. This might work for Tortise machines too, but I'd be worried that the weight of the Tortise would eventually pull it off the foam.

If you're using a wood box frame to support your foam, I'd suggest adding a piece of 1/4" plywood between the frame members, and attaching the Tortise to that. You won't have to worry about the switch machine hitting the floor this way. Otherwise, I'd suggest switching to twin coil switch machines, which weigh a lot less than a Tortise.

[fmilhaupt]

What's always worked for me is to use wood screws to mount the machine to a square of 1/4" plywood, then glue it to the underside of the layout with Liquid Nails.

The plywood gives it more area to hold onto the foam, so it's less likely to shear off, plus it gives you something you can run wood screws into to mount the machine.

[Big_Boy_4005]

Applying any kind of a wood block to the foam is probably the best solution. Be careful to use the non solvent type adhesives, so you don't damage the foam. Even white or yellow glue would work to secure the block. To clamp it while the glue dries, just use a scrap of wood on the top side and run a screw up into it, to draw it tight. When dry, remove the screw and the upper block, and secure your machine to the wood..

Masonite is terrible for holding screws or nails, plywood or regular lumber are the best choices. Try to make your blocks larger than what you are trying to mount. More surface area for gluing makes a stronger platform. 1/4" material sounds a bit thin for holding screws, 1/2" or greater sounds better to me, but then I come from the "school of overkill".[swg]

[Anonymous]

Hey great! Thanks for all of your help. I was thinking about putting a piece of wood underneath for stability, but didn't know how to support it while it dries. Lokks like I have something to do on my days off. Thanks!